In the Region/New Jersey; Houses Going Up at Two Sites Linked to History

TWO historically important sites -- the place where John F. Kennedy's PT-109 was built and launched in Bayonne, and the former George Washington School where generations of Morristown youngsters were educated -- are set to have futures as places where people live.

History will be reduced to memorial status in each case, with a plaque at the school, which stands near one of Washington's Revolutionary War campsites, and two plaques along a walkway to be built at the edge of Newark Bay in Bayonne. The new homes will replace buildings that have been empty and unusable for many years.

In Morristown, where the mayor, John J. Delaney Jr., is an alumnus of the George Washington grade school, town officials decided three years ago that the property had been vacant and deteriorating long enough and declared it an area ''in need of redevelopment.'' Plans were approved earlier this year for the Matzel & Mumford Organization to build 76 town homes, which are expected to sell for more than $300,000, and construction at the site began last month.

In Bayonne, local officials faced the fact last year that the boatworks at which Lieutenant Kennedy picked up the World War II craft he commanded had become a public eyesore. Plans were approved this year for Baker Residential to build 160 town homes on the site beside the Hudson River.

T HE site was basically derelict,'' said Robert Holmes, who is Baker Residential's project manager in Bayonne. ''To be able to redevelop that land and provide new housing is an excellent opportunity for both us and the town.''

The 10-acre site on New Jersey's Gold Coast had once been the home of the Electro Dynamic Motor Company, frequently referred to as ELCO, a major Navy supplier in both World War I and II of electrical motors as well as other naval vessels. It had been vacant for more than 25 years when it was ravaged last summer by fire, which local officials said was apparently the work of vandals. The Bayonne plant itself was established in 1904 after ELCO was burned out of its original plant in Philadelphia.

Baker Residential had acquired the ELCO site before the fire and was planning to demolish the plant anyway, Mr. Holmes said. Baker is now clearing the land for creation of its town home community, which is to be called the Boatworks.

The project is to include 10 buildings with 16 units each; a pool and recreation building; rehabilitation of the 62-slip marina, where ELCO boats were launched; and the waterfront walkway. The walkway has been designed to connect with a three-acre park behind a grocery store adjacent to the Boatworks site, between Avenue A and the bay, in the Bergen Point section of Bayonne, Mr. Holmes said.

One ELCO icon that will be preserved is the crane that lifted and launched vessels, including the former president's craft. The crane beside the marina will bear a plaque describing ELCO's history.

ELCO won a $5 million contract with the United States Navy in late 1939 to build 23 motorized patrol torpedo boats. The boats, constructed of laminated hardwoods and canvas, were powered by three Packard 1,500 horsepower V-12 engines and became famed for being fast and agile, even when heavily loaded with munitions.

ELCO was not the only producer of PT boats, but it was one of the largest. During the war, men and women worked a continual three shifts, producing hundreds of the combat boats, which were tested in Newark Bay, before commanders arrived to take them into battle. After the war, the United States government awarded ELCO an ''E'' flag for excellence in war production. In peacetime, ELCO also built yachts and pleasure crafts.

The Boatworks at Bayonne, where construction is scheduled to begin in the spring, will offer two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath town homes in several different designs. The homes will all have one-car garages, vaulted ceilings and balconies or decks.

Ron DeLisi, Baker Residential's director of sales and marketing, said there was already a list of interested home buyers.

''It is becoming increasingly difficult to find for-sale communities along the Gold Coast which offer buyers the opportunity to purchase a spacious, well-planned residences for a reasonable price,'' Mr. DeLisi said.

Baker is also developing Lighthouse Bay in South Amboy; Ramapo River Reserve and Cotswold, both in Oakland; and Summit Falls and the Highlands, both in Pompton Lakes. The company is planning to offer the Bayonne town homes for prices in the high $200,000's.

In Morristown, sales prices at the development called Morris Place begin in the low $300,000's, and a quarter of the units were sold before the school was demolished and construction began three months ago.

Seven town home buildings, with 8 to 16 units each, will be arranged around a circular internal road on the property, which is bounded by Interstate 287, Morris Street and Ridgedale Avenue. Morris Street is currently a one-way road, but plans are to modify a section between Ford and Ridgedale Avenues to accept two-way traffic and install a traffic signal at Ford.

In 1779, the area was a strategic location for George Washington's winter headquarters, which were set up just north of the old school site, across what is now I-287. Today, the spot is a commuter hub, , offering quick access not only to I-287, but also I-80, the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and Routes 124, 24, 202 and 10. The Morristown train station is several blocks away, and park and ride facilities are available at the nearby Willowbrook Mall.

Roger Mumford, president of Matzel & Mumford, said the idea at Morris Place is to offer maintenance-free living in one of the most historic and convenient locations in the region.

He and David Fischer, who handles governmental relations for Matzel & Mumford, commended town authorities in Morristown, including the mayor and the Redevelopment Authority, for having a clear vision of the historic downtown area's future.

T HE architecture and design at Morris Place is designed to fit with the historic character of Morristown,'' Mr. Mumford said. ''We are going with classic colonial architecture, traditional red brick facades, black roofs and clay siding.''

The town homes will each have two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, with 1,535 to 1,762 square feet of living space, a one-car garage on the ground level and various upscale appointments, including a sitting room off the master bedroom.

There are two designs: the Washington, which features a 194-square-foot second-story loft overlooking the living and dining area, a kitchen with an eating nook and pantry, and a master-bedroom suite with a deck, walk-in closet and bath with dual-vanity sinks and separate soaking tub and stall shower; and the Jefferson, a similar design minus the second-story loft.

Both designs feature nine-foot-high ceilings on the main level, ceramic tile in the kitchens, self-cleaning ovens, dishwashers and microwaves and central air-conditioning.